I nodded. “Sure. I’d like to talk to them.” I’d like to know whether Juliet was telling the truth.

“All right. Take some time to wind down and recover your strength. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Once the pair was gone, I asked Butch, “Do you think Marco even knows anything about the insignia?”

His mouth twisted. “I think it’s unlikely. But I also think we shouldn’t talk about it or that fucker. Sam’s right; you should wind down. After the rough time you’ve had, you need it.”

“We both need it.” Being with me during the transition had to have been hard for him.

He surprised me by running a bath; filling the bathroom with the scent of jasmine. As he slowly stripped me, his touch was caring and soothing, not sexual or invasive—dammit. His eyes glittered with possessiveness as they raked over me. My nipples tightened under that heated gaze, but the bastard ignored that and helped me into the tub. After shedding his own clothes, he slid in behind me.

Resting against him with a happy sigh, I caught sight of his toothbrush next to mine. It was only then it occurred to me that a lot of his stuff had found a place in my apartment. I kind of liked that. “So are you just planning to move your things in here, little by little, hoping I won’t notice until suddenly bam you’re all moved in?” Butch could be sneaky like that.

He nuzzled the crook of my neck. “Don’t you want me here?”

“Well, sure. You’re nice to have around—you’re a good cook, you’re pretty to look at, and you make baths and showers much more fun.”

“But…?”

“There’s no ‘but.’ I just thought you would have liked to stay in your own apartment until you were certain that this is working for you.” I didn’t want him making huge decisions like moving in here permanently unless he was one-hundred percent sure. I didn’t want him to regret it.

His fingers traced my collarbone. “This isn’t a complicated situation for me, Imani. I have no doubts whatsoever about you. I’m sure that this is what I want. Just because I’m not very good at relationships doesn’t mean I’m scared of the commitment.”

“Okay, I was just checking.”

He spoke into my ear. “You know, sometimes I’d dream that you were with me. Then I’d wake up, and you weren’t there. And I’d remember that I let you go. I hated that. I don’t want to wake up and not find you right there again.”

Swallowing, I shook my head. “I really had no idea you were feeling this way. I’m sorry that you were hurting. And I’m sorry I didn’t see it. As your friend, I should have seen it.”

“It was my own fault. You offered me you, and I didn’t give you what you need.”

Well he’d given me what I needed over the past few nights. “It just occurred to me that I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“For what?”

“Staying with me. Taking care of me during the transition.”

He nipped my ear. “You don’t have to thank me. You’re mine. I’ll always take care of you.”

“Dude, you say some pretty nice things.” It wasn’t that he was attempting to be romantic, sensitive, and soppy. He was just being honest, and I loved that. “Did you even take a break while I was going through the transition?”

“Of course not.”

“Not even for a change of clothes?”

“Jared packed me a bag and brought it to me.” He kissed my hair. “It was hard to see you like that. Weak and in pain. You didn’t even know who I was most of the time. When you did recognise me, you kept asking me to make the pain stop. But I couldn’t, and I hated that. I couldn’t even hold you tight because your skin was so sensitive. Then you turned into a cat in heat, and I was worried I’d hurt you. But not fucking you seemed to hurt you more.”

I grimaced. “I wish you hadn’t seen me like that.”

“I’ve seen you in worse states than that.”

My frown deepened. “Oh yeah? When?”

“Like the time you and your squad were totally shitfaced and stripped down to your underwear to go for a swim in the ocean. You then fell asleep on the sand with seaweed in your hair—but not before putting a shell over each nipple.”

And, in my drunken state, I’d been convinced I looked like a mermaid. “You saw me?” Oh, the shame and horror.

“Who do you think carried you to your apartment?”

I blinked. “I thought I walked home but just didn’t remember.”

He snorted. “You couldn’t have lifted your head, let alone walked. You did mumble a few things, though, while I was carrying you.”

Something about his tone told me this was going to be embarrassing. “What did I say?”

“You started squirming, so I told you it was just me. You said that no one who’s as much of an asshole as me should be ‘so damn hot and so good with his hands.’”

Groaning, I closed my eyes. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

“I shit you not, baby,” he chuckled.

“You just left the other girls sprawled all over the sand?”

“They aren’t mine. You are.” He kissed my neck. “Onto other things…You haven’t told me how you’re feeling about Lena’s news. It can’t have been nice to hear.”

Total understatement. “It would be fair to say I’ve avoided even thinking much about the subject.”

“Then think about it now. Work it out in your head.”

“What do you want me to say? Am I worried? Yeah. Am I pissed? Yeah. Do I find it ironic that I was devastated at the thought of being human again when once upon a time it would have thrilled me? Yeah, I definitely do.” I shrugged. “But there’s no point in dwelling. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still a vampire. Just a vampire with an edge.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

(Imani)

Waking up alone, I did a long, languid stretch. I could hear Butch moving around my apartment, and I smiled. He wasn’t an early riser, but since I was a late riser he was often awake before me.

Slipping out of bed, I took inventory. The nausea had subsided and my head no longer hurt. Also, my body didn’t feel so heavy tonight. In fact, I felt refreshed. Invigorated.